What's New in PCensus

New in Version 9...

New User Interface with Improved Workflow

Multi-window interface combines flexibility and ease of use. Swing out the task panes you require. Hide them away when you’re finished.

Better-Looking Reports

Professional-quality demographic reports are customizable to incorporate your corporate color schemes and logos. Select from profile reports, executive summaries, target lists, maps and graphs to create a single document report.

In addition, PCensus now uses the ChartFx graphing engine to improve the quality of profile and target list graphs.

Custom Geography Tool

Create new databases with summary levels defined by franchise areas, school districts, yellow page areas or any other boundary file that you may wish to import and differentiate by demographics. Use lifestyle targeting or thematic mapping to illustrate key variables.

Bing Maps™ Satellite / Aerial Imagery

For users of PCensus for MapInfo® (with MapPoint® also installed) or PCensus for ArcView (version 9.3.1), PCensus 9 features Bing Maps™ ground images. Perform better site selection with detailed coverage of the parking facilities, homes, buildings and other unique features in your trade area.

New in Version 8.73...

For users of PCensus 8.50 or higher, you are entitled to a free upgrade to PCensus 8.73.

Click here to download the free update...

Text Values in Databases

The PCensus database structure has been extended to accommodate text-type information. This greatly extends the types of data that can be imported into PCensus, and it has also been implemented in some point-level databases (e.g. Bank Branches and Shopping Centers). When used with lifestyle targeting, text fields can be used for filtering (for example, display can be limited to banks whose names contain the word “Fargo”).

Data Import Features

The Data Import feature has been significantly modified to provide simpler operation and increased flexibility (see chapter 41, Using Your Own Data in PCensus).

The data import wizard has been simplified to reduce the number of steps required.
Import of true text data items is now supported (in addition to the existing “Unique Value” import).
The “Numeric Split” feature allows numeric data to be tallied on the basis of a selected attribute; for example, income can be tallied separately for males and females.
“Segment Profiled” data (for example customer records tagged with PRIZM segment codes) can be imported and used to compute penetration and index metrics (see chapter 51, Using Segmentation Data for Customer Analysis).

SiteScan Enhancements

SiteScan now includes an option to create thematic maps based on grid tiles, in addition to circle or drive time areas.
Grid axes can be labeled with coordinates (A1, A2 etc.).

Label Circles and Drive Time Areas

Mapped areas can be labeled with radius or drive time.

New in Version 8.5....

SiteScore - Calculating Scores and Statistics in Target Lists

The SiteScore feature provides a method of scoring target list dimensions; for example to assign a score of 100 to high income areas or 1 to low-income areas. Scores for different dimensions can be mathematically combined, allowing us to identify areas with optimum combinations of characteristics.

For example, we may have established that a product would appeal to wealthy, well-educated, aging consumers. Ideally, we would like to find areas that satisfy all three criteria, but this requirement might be too restrictive, resulting in a very small number of candidate areas. In this case, we require a method for computing the overall performance of each target; a target would not necessarily be excluded on the basis of a somewhat lower value for one variable if the other two variables are exceptionally favorable.

SiteScore provides a method for characterizing variables by a “score” as opposed to an actual value. For example, if the median income of a ZIP code is high compared to other ZIP codes in the study area, the block group might score 90 or more, while if it is very low it might score 10 or less.

Because the scores for each variable are numeric, they can be combined to calculate a combined score.

The “Wealthy, Elderly, Educated” column contains a composite score combining scores for age, income and education; we can see that ZIP code 98262 scores well in all three categories.

The SiteScore feature provides a simple method for defining composite scores, applying weighting factors, and applying specific scores for defined value ranges.

Improved Data-importing System

The three methods for importing data into PCensus (create new database, extend existing database and import data for mapping) have been combined into a single process.

The principal benefit of this development is that point level data such as customer records can be attached to an existing database as a new “point” summary level, and will automatically be summarized to the geographies defined in the PCensus data (e.g. places, counties and states).

Multiple Extensions to Databases

When importing data to PCensus, you can now attach multiple data files to a single database (provided that each consecutive file represents the same set of geographical points). This feature overcomes the limitation that most

Refresh Imported Data

A method is now provided to assist in refreshing imported database when source data has changed.

Import “Unique” Data Items

Formerly, only numerical data types (e.g. customer spending) could be imported. PCensus can now also import text data (e.g. “cat”, “dog”, “goldfish”), as well as values that cannot be usefully aggregated (e.g. customer age).

Simplified Selection of Map Regions to Define Study Areas

The Study Area Wizard now includes an option for selecting mapped objects to create study areas. Previously, this required canceling the Wizard and creating study areas manually.

Study Area Based on Map Window

The study area wizard now includes an option to create a rectangular study area based on the extent of the current map window.

Improved handling of “Donut” study areas

The process for defining polygon study areas containing “holes” and “islands” has been extensively revised and simplified. In addition, selected map areas containing holes are now treated automatically as “donut” areas (i.e. the hole is excluded from the study area).